Ganga Tilakaratna

M.Phil in Economics, University of Cambridge, UK.   

B.A ( Hons.) in Economics, University of Manchester, UK.

Microfinance and Poverty Reduction in Sri Lanka: A Comparative Study of Samurdhi, SANASA and SEEDS.

Supervisor: David Hulme and Tony Addison.

Microfinance, Micro-insurance, Poverty, Education policy, Gender and Development.

The main objective of the research is to look at the contribution of microfinance towards poverty reduction in Sri Lanka based on a comparative analysis of three key Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in the country: (i.) Samurdhi Savings and Credit program- the Government's largest microfinance provider, (ii) the Thrift and Credit Co-operative Movement- the pioneers of microfinance in Sri Lanka and (iii.) SEEDS – the largest Non-governmental MFI. The study will look at the institutional features including organisational structure and financial and non-financial products of the three MFIs, their outreach (e.g. whom the MFIs have reached) and their impact on their clients (and their households) to explore whether, how and the extent to which these MFIs differ in their contribution to poverty reduction. The study takes a step further to investigate whether clients of the three MFIs access multiple institutions to fulfil their financial needs and the underlying reasons for and implications of such multiple access to both the clients and the MFIs.

The study will use the mixed-method approach based on both quantitative and qualitative techniques. Both primary and secondary data will be used. Primary data will be collected using multiple methods including a client level survey, semi-structured interviews at MFI level, detailed case studies of selected clients and key informant interviews.

Tilakaratna, G., A. Galappattige, R Jayathilaka and R. Perera (2008) ‘Educational Opportunities for the Poor in Sri Lanka: Assessing Spatial Diapaities, Human Resources Development Series, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Tilakaratna, G. and P. Samaratunga (2006) ‘Economic and Political Empowerment of the Poor: Country Studies of Sri Lanka’ [PDF], SACEPS Paper No. 9 [PDF, 110KB], South Asia Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS), Kathmandu, Nepal, August 2006.

Tilakaratna, G., A. Galappattige and T. Kumara (2006) ‘Annotated Bibliography on Microfinance in Sri Lanka’, Poverty and Social Welfare Series No. 8, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Tilakaratna G. (2006), ‘Educational Opportunities for the Poor: Sri Lanka’, Policy Brief No. 11 [PDF, 360KB)Inter-Regional Inequality Facility, Overseas Development Institute (ODI), London, UK, February 2006.

Tilakaratna, G. (2005) ‘Impact of Micro-credit on Selected Household Welfare Attributes: Evidence from Sri Lanka’ [MS Word] in the Microfinance Gateway, CGAP/ World Bank , Washington D.C..

S. Jayanetti and Tilakaratna G. (2005) ‘Impact of Trade Liberalization on Poverty and Household Welfare in Sri Lanka’, Poverty and Social Welfare Series No. 6, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Tilakaratna, G., U. Wickremasinghe and T. Kumara (2005), ‘Microfinance in Sri Lanka: A Household Level Analysis of Outreach and Impact on Poverty’, Poverty and Social Welfare Series No. 7, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, Colombo.

Jayanetti S. and G. Tilakaratna (2005), Policy Brief on ‘Macroeconomic Policy Choices for Growth and Poverty Reduction: The Impact of Trade Liberalization on Poverty in Sri Lanka’, The North- South Institute (NSI), Canada, May 2005.

Tilakaratna, G. (2005), Review  of ‘Our Future Our responsibility: Road Map towards a Poverty Free South Asia’ report of the Independent South Asian Commission on Poverty Alleviation (ISACPA), 2003, published in the Sri Lanka Economic Journal, December 2004, Vol 5, No.2.

Tilakaratna, G. (2003), Review of ‘Human Development in South Asia 2001 - Globalization and Human Development’ Report by the Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Center, published in the South Asia Economic Journal, January -June 2003, Vol.4, No.1.

Employment

Research Economist - Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka – November 2001 to-date.

Professional Training

The Boulder Microfinance Training Program, conducted by the Boulder Institute of Microfinance and the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ILO), held in Italy, July - August 2005.

Postgraduate Diploma in ‘Universalizing Socio-Economic Security for the Poor’ Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Netherlands, January-March 2003.

Training Programme on ‘Public Expenditure, Poverty and Equity’ organized by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada held at Rabat, Morocco, February 2002.

Memberships/Associations

Doctoral Student Associate – Brooks World Poverty Institute, University of Manchester.

Member of the Board of Directors – Agro Micro Finance Institution, Sri Lanka.

Member of the Poverty and Economic Policy (PEP) Network, funded by International Development Research Centre, Canada.

Member of the Sri Lanka Economic Association (SLEA).

Fellowships/Grants

Brooks World Poverty Institute (BWPI) de Silva Scholarship to pursue PhD programme at the University of Manchester (2007-10).

Fellowship from the Netherlands Government to participate in the Refresher course on “Universalising Socio Economic Security for the Poor” jointly organised by the Institute of Social Studies (in Netherlands) and Netherlands Alumni Association of Nepal, held in Nepal in September 2008.

Grant from the German Technical Corporation (GTZ) to participate in the ‘Asia Microfinance Forum 2006’, held in Beijing, China, 2006.

Sponsorship from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada to pursue the Boulder Microfinance Training Program in Italy, 2005.

Fellowship from The Netherlands Fellowship Programme (NFP) to pursue Postgraduate Diploma at the Institute of Social Studies, Netherlands in 2003.

Presentations and Participation in International Conferences

Presented a paper on “Economic and political empowerment of the Poor in Sri Lanka” at the conference on “Rethinking Poverty Eradication in South Asia: An Agenda for Inclusive Development” organized by the South Asia Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS) and Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Dhaka, Bangladesh, 12-13 October, 2008.

Presented a paper on ‘Educational Opportunities for the Poor: A case of Sri Lanka’ at a conference on ‘Addressing Inequalities: Policies for Inclusive Development’ organized by the Inter-Regional Inequality Facility, held at United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, July 2005.

Presented a paper on ‘Microfinance in Sri Lanka: A Household Level Analysis of Outreach and Impact on Poverty’ at the Fourth Annual Conference on ‘Poverty and Economic Policy’ organized by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) , Canada , held in Colombo, 13-17 June 2005.

Presented a paper on ‘Trade Policy Reforms for Growth and Poverty Reduction in Sri Lanka’ at the conference on “Economic Policy Choices for Poverty Reduction” funded by the North-South Institute Canada, held in Sussex, UK, June 2004.

Discussant to the presentation on ‘Poverty in Tanzania: Comparison across Administrative Regions’ at the Third General Meeting of the Poverty and Economic Policy (PEP) Network organized by the IDRC, Canada held in Dakar, Senegal, June, 2004.

Presented a paper on ‘Looking at Poverty in SAARC Region: Current Status and Challenges’ at the seminar on ‘Poverty in South Asia’ organized by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), Islamabad, Pakistan, December, 2003.

Attended international conferences and workshops on poverty/microfinance in several countries including Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India, Italy, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and UK.